AllMovie

A relationship born out of violence and desperation blooms again, leading to a confrontation between a man and his wife in this drama from filmmakers Ellen Ramos and Paolo Villaluna. Rommel (Sid Lucero) is convicted of manslaughter and sent to a prison where the warden (Michael De Mesa) warns him that violence, humiliation and forced sexual contact are a part of daily life. Rommel makes friends with a few of his fellow inmates, including elderly and soft-spoken Mang Jon (Soliman Cruz), a tense and obsessively clean younger criminal (Ping Medina), and Esteban (Emilio Garcia), a tough but fair-minded man who is considered the unofficial mayor of the cell block. When Rommel is raped by sadistic prisoner Boy P (Allan Paule), Esteban becomes sympathetic to Rommel's pain and confusion, and he becomes the young man's protector behind bars. In the intense environment of the prison, the friendship between the two men grows into a physical relationship, but when Rommel is released after seven years, he returns home to his wife Sita (Ara Mina) and tries to wipe Esteban out of his memory. When Esteban is released, he visits Rommel and Sita welcomes him into their home, giving him a place to stay, and soon the reunion between old friends turns into a sexual triangle. Selda (aka The Inmate) received its North American premiere at the 2008 Toronto World Film Festival.